Small Talk
by messington
Summary: She'd been to hell and back, but she didn't seem to skip a beat. That bugs him. A lot. What bugs him more is that he doesn't really know why.
1. Chapter 1

**Small Talk**_  
So much for small talk. The big idea somehow snuck in, when we weren't looking._

He watched as she cleaned. Ichigo had perched himself at just the right place on the covered walkway that connected the upper floor of the school with the nearby gymnasium to be able to watch her without being noticed. He didn't really intend on watching her when he initially set out across the pathway, but once he caught a glimpse of her sweeping in the school courtyard, he disobeyed every instinct in his body and crouched behind the wall to watch her. He was being extra careful in this moment, because he had learned that having bright orange hair meant that if he wasn't careful, he could be spotted from a mile away. As a kid it was torture when he played hide and go seek. Right now, it would have meant sheer embarrassment if he was spotted, not just by Orihime, but by anyone in the school.

It was mesmerizing, watching Orihime as she did her chore. Most kids who were given the task would do it begrudgingly, but he could faintly hear the tune her gentle voice was humming. He watched as a breeze kicked in and scattered most of the litter she had been neatly sweeping into a pile scatter about the courtyard. Again, most students who had such a job would have groaned and cursed the wind, but he watched as it looked like she was enjoying the feeling of the wind sweeping through her hair and clothes.

It shouldn't have been such an odd thing to him, really. This was Inoue, the girl who always smiled and always had something genuinely nice to say. It was something that had been bothering him recently when it came to her, when he sat back the thought about her. He just wondered how she should remain so happy. Months earlier, she had been taken to that horrible place. That horrible man had tried to use her as he had previously used Rukia and that nice girl, Aizen's vice captain whose name he could never remember. Rukia came out of it okay, but by the time he'd had a chance to see her after saving her from being executed, she'd already experienced most of the abuse. In an odd way, it seemed to have helped her reconnect with her brother and long-lost friend. For Orihime, all of that was done now as well, and they had brought her home. He was expecting to see a different Inoue. He knew at least some of the emotional torture that she had endured, because he had seen it was his own eyes. If he wasn't mistaken, he may have caused some of it. His heart was waiting for that wrenching feeling of seeing her again and bright face taking on a dull appearance.

But it never came.

Maybe he really shouldn't have been so surprised. He'd recently learned from Tatsuki that Orihime's parents had beaten her as a toddler when she would so much as cry; that her mother had turned to working in a soapland and spend more time with her clients than her children; and that her father was a drunken monster, angry that he was stuck in a life with children and an ungrateful wife. The person who took her out of that atrocious existence at the cost of his happiness, her beloved brother Sora, had been killed when she was barely a teenager. Then along he came, sweeping her up into this shinigami business. He had watched almost a year ago as that brother she loved so deeply became a monster and tried desperately to take her life. He had unlocked a power from deep within her soul that exposed her this life of fighting and blood. Yet through all of that, Inoue Orihime smiled and carried herself like none of it ever happened, and he had no reason to believe that she wasn't honestly happy. He'd seen her fake smiles before. He knew very well the extra brightness she tried to force into her eyes voice. He saw it very often in Hueco Mundo, yet he didn't feel any of that coming from her recently.

Still, he felt like he'd wronged her. If only he was stronger, she wouldn't have been taken in the first place. She wouldn't even have those memories.

"So, you're spying on her now?" His thoughts were interrupted by a female voice behind him. He whirled around to see Tatsuki in her karate uniform. In a panic he quickly reached up and grabbed his childhood friend by her collar and yanked her down alongside him. Before she could yell at him, he'd placed his hand over her mouth.

"Say anything and," Ichigo had started. However, despite his long history of friendship with Tatsuki, he didn't really have any juicy blackmail to try to use as leverage. There was just that picture of her in the fluffy dress from her 6th birthday party, but he was sure that she had far of incriminating pictures of him. Angry, yet unable to give her a reason to keep her mouth closed, he removed his hand.

"Dammit, Ichigo, what in the hell was that?" she asked, thankfully at a normal volume.

"You can't go up sneaking up on people like that," Ichigo said in a harsh whisper.

"Well, I think I have every right to sneak up on guys leering at poor Orihime like that," she said with a defensive tone, adjusting her collar.

"I wasn't leering. Who do you think I am, Keigo or Chizuru?"

"I suppose you're right about that," Tatsuki said giving her childhood friend a suspicious look. "I don't think anyone is worse than those two." She sighed and took a seat next to him, leaning her back on the wall behind her.

It was true, he wasn't like those two. In fact, she'd found it a little odd that Ichigo had little to no reaction to girls in the first place. He'd always treated her like any of his male friends, but that sort of thing would be natural since they'd met in karate class with her beating him to the point of tears. Then there was that transfer student, Rukia. At first, Tatsuki had certainly thought that there was was something going on between the two. She appeared one day, and it was like some sort of instant friendship. She always saw them hanging around together at school or even at the park afterward. Then time moved on, and she never got the feeling that they were more than friends. They were close, extremely close, but he never seemed to treat Rukia any different than he would her, or that strange tattooed red-headed guy that showed up later.

Then there came that day when they both walked into class bandaged up. She watched as Ichigo approached Orihime looking pained and like he had something important to tell her. As she greeted him as cheery as ever, he managed to lose his nerve in an instant. She watched him walk away to sit on a nearby desk, and Orihime rushed out of the classroom. Tatsuki had later learned what happened the day before from that guy who wore the geta and the striped hat, and it all started to fit together. She started to understand bit by bit that maybe Ichigo felt something a little more when it came to Orihime, yet, understanding her friend and the young man that he'd become, she didn't think that he had much of a grip on exactly what it was he was feeling or that Orihime was as wild about him as she was. "So," Tatsuki continued, breaking the silence, "why exactly were you looking at her while trying not to be seen?"

Ichigo sighed and rubbed his temples.

"She just looks so happy."

"And what's wrong with Orihime looking happy? You're her friend too, right? I'd think you'd want her to be happy with all that you've done for her; all the trouble you went through to make sure she was brought back home and safe."

"That place, Tatsuki. That place and those people, they just wanted to use her and hurt her. I can only imagine everything she saw there. Hell, it was hard for me to fathom some of the stuff that went on there."

"But you brought her back, Ichigo. She's here, and she's smiling again because you came for her."

"She shouldn't have been taken in the first place. She shouldn't have seen any of that. It's my fault she went though that," he said with a booming voice. Realizing his anger had gotten the best of him, he took a deep breath, leaned his head back against the wall, and shut his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, it's just...I don't know."

Tatsuki a sudden urge to take advantage of the situation. What was the next time that she'd be talking to such a vulnerable Ichigo?

"You really care for her a lot, don't you?"

The question didn't get quite the reaction that she was hoping for. He just heaved another sigh and ruffled his fingers through his already messy hair. Maybe she was asking him something that he'd already been asking himself now that their lives had slowed down to a at least somewhat normal pace.

"Well, she's my friend, of course I care for her."

"Ichigo," she said with a stern voice, hoping he'd try to not evade the question. "You know what I mean."

He looked over at Tatsuki to see her expression was dead serious. He had felt guilty for hiding everything from her in the first place. While he hoped that she understood that he hid the truth because he was trying to keep her safe, he still knew that she didn't appreciate it in the least. She was a friend to both him and Orihime, and if there was anyone to trust about this, it was her.

"I feel like I've dragged her into all of this, but, at the same time, I want to push her away from it. It's just that there's something about her that makes me want to keep her safe. I just don't really know what it is. Ever since all of this stuff ended, it's been on my mind, but it's just such a mess in my head."

"I know what that is, Ichigo," Tatsuki said smiling. "Why else do you think I make sure she doesn't get bullied anymore or that Chizuru can keep her filthy hands off her?"

"But that's different."

"How is it different? When I first met her, brother had died a little less than a year ago. She barely talked, and she'd just let these girls bully her everyday. I decided to help her, because it was just so hard to watch. I didn't know how she'd react, but I think I got the best reward. That smile of hers is really something else. It's the most rewarding part of being her friend. I never thought I've have such an amazing, kind person like her as a friend."

She sat next to Ichigo for what felt like forever without a word between them. She should have known better. Ever since his mother's death, he'd become a bit of an emotional brick wall. He tried so hard to keep people from penetrating that defensive personality he put up. It was something that always managed to make her heart break a little when she saw him, because she'd remember what a happy kid he used to be. It was hard for her, but a long ago, she gave up trying to help him. It felt like a lost cause to try to get a little bit of the old Ichigo back, so she just let their friendship evolve. When Orihime stepped into the picture and could notice things about him so easily and empathize with his struggles, she that thought maybe someone like Orihime would be good for Ichigo. Of course, her brown-haired friend's crush on him only made her feel more strongly about it. More than anything she wanted them to be happy, and she knew that they'd be able to make each other happy. Even if it meant that she'd probably see a little less of Orihime. "Look, I need to get to practice," she said standing up and breaking the silence. "You don't need to give me an answer or anything, but maybe you should talk to her."

He just thanked his friend as she left and waited for her to leave before getting up. He took one last glance at Orihime, who seemed to be cheerily finishing up. He'd have to talk to her sometime soon, and that scared him to death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Small Talk**  
chapter 2

He still needed to work up the courage to talk to her. Sure, he could hold a conversation with her, say hello, ask her how her day was, maybe see what crazy thing she had planned for lunch, but the thought of really talking to her about something so personal scared him to death. He had so much to answer to, and he knew that Orihime would never let him blame himself. She chose on her own to go to the Soul Society, to fight, and everything that's happened since then was a result of that choice. In the end, she was the key to what seemed like an impossible win. If it wasn't for her, he wasn't sure where he, or any of their other friends, would be. That, however, didn't make him feel less guilty about being the one to put her into those circumstances.

The school day was winding down, and Ichigo just wanted to get home. He took his time in gathering his things and putting them in his bag. When he got up to leave, he noticed that everyone in the class had already gone, everyone except Orihime. He wasn't sure if she was waiting for him, but when she turned around and was a little startled by his presence, he knew that wasn't the case.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, you're still here too?" she asked with that smile of hers. It made him weak. It was so hard for him to just scowl and push her aside like he would with anyone else when she smiled like that.

"Um, yeah, I guess I'm a little slow today."

"Everything now probably seems a little slower to Kurosaki-kun."

"I think I need to be peaceful like this for awhile," he replied, just trying his hardest to make conversation without all those questions flooding into his head. There were a million things in his head that he wanted to ask her; a million things that he wanted to know. None of which he could just blurt out. She just stood in front him, unsure of what to say next. Maybe this was the perfect time to at least try to get some of those questions answered. He remembered something Tatsuki told him the day after his talk with her on the walkway, when she caught up with him the next to see if he was really going to talk to her.

_ I know there's not much more I should say, but have you ever thought that she feels the same way? Maybe she wants to talk to you but can't bring herself to do it?_

"Inoue, would you like me to, um, walk you home?" he asked with a slightly nervous waver in his tone. He noticed a slight blush crept up on her cheeks as she paused before replying.

"Yeah, that would be…nice," she said, her nervousness matching his.

Without a word between them, she followed him out of the classroom. Once they were in the hall, she took a few quick paces to catch up next to him. He noticed and looked over to her only to catch another smile. He offered, in response, what few people would call a smile, but when his default expression was a scowl, dropping that was just as much a smile as her grins.

After going down to their shoe lockers and trading out their shoes, they both headed out of the school. Ichigo, although glad to have gotten up the nerve to at least make the first step, hoped to all hell that they weren't spotted leaving together. Their comments and jibes (he knew they'd make some kind of comment that she's too good for him) would only wither any confidence that he'd built up. He decided it would be best to just keep his head up and walk out with her alongside, just like he would any other day walking home on his own. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chizuru. He just kept walking, hoping that he blocked the very vocal lesbian's view of Orihime.

He didn't take a breath until they were out of the schoolyard, or at least that was when he noticed that he was breathing again.

They walked towards her apartment, talking most of the way. Well, she was the one doing most of the talking. He just would look at her every so often to watch just how exuberant she was when she told even the simplest story. He tried his best to pay attention, but he started to get lost somewhere around the time she started talking this dream she had in class about robot assassins. It's when he watched her like this that he really understood about what Tatsuki told him. There was something about her that managed to penetrate the barrier he'd put up so long ago. That personality of hers somehow managed to make him feel so carefree.

Before he knew it, they were at her apartment, right in front of the door. He cursed himself for being unable to focus long enough to get out what he needed to get out. Then he thought that maybe it would be best to keep walking her home, and after awhile, he'd be more comfortable with telling her. If he ever told Tatsuki about stalling like that, she'd probably send his head through another window.

"Wait, Inoue," he said as she was unlocking the door. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes, and he faltered for a second. "I-I need to talk to you."

"Would you like to come in?" she asked, blushing yet again. He just replied with a nod and a short grunt.

Walking in, he instantly remembered the last time he was there. This time there was no huge screen on her wall with the stern image of Ukitake telling him he thinks that she very well could be dead. There was just silence as they both removed their shoes and stepped into the main room. "Would you like some tea, or something?"

"Yeah, sure, that's fine."

Orihime disappeared into the kitchen, and he was left alone in the moderate-sized room. There really wasn't that much of anything in her apartment, just the necessities and a few decorations. There was a small shrine for her brother set up on a low table next to the TV. Not wanting to poke around too much, Ichigo took a seat on the couch and tried his best to stay calm. He still didn't know exactly what he was going to say to her, but he knew that he needed to apologize, even if she probably wouldn't want him to.

Orihime walked out of the kitchen with a tray and two mugs of tea. Ichigo took one. Looking into the clear green-tinted water, he realized that he didn't really want tea in the first place. He kept his glance at his mug as Orihime sat next to him.

"So what is it you needed to tell me, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked as bright as the afternoon sun. He looked at her to see her beaming at him.

Relax, this is Inoue. She's the last person who would judge or blame you, he thought, reassuring himself.

"A lot had happened in the past few months, and there's just been a lot of things in my head," he paused to let out a deep breath. "I'm not good with this kinda stuff, but I wanna say that I'm sorry for letting you get taken like that. I promised you that I'd get stronger so you wouldn't get hurt, and I didn't live up to that."

"There was nothing you could have done. There's no need to–"

"Inoue," he said to keep her from saying anything else. "I've felt guilty about this for awhile now, and even if you don't accept my apology, I'm still sorry that this happened."

Seeing the look on his face, she knew that there really was nothing more to say. His warm brown eyes had that intensity to them, and his brow remained furrowed. She loved that face. It was intense, but it was also comforting. Whenever he looked at her like that to reassure her, she knew he wasn't lying. He was just as serious about this as he was when he made the promise to get stronger and protect her.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. I'm not sure if I ever could thank you enough for everything. Not just you either, everyone risked their lives and got themselves so beat up just for me."

"I'm sure you would have done if it was anyone else in that situation."

"But that doesn't make me any less thankful," she said with a soft giggle. That effectively stopped the conversation. Ichigo was hard pressed to go on when she looked so happy. He didn't want to be nosey, but he honestly wanted to know what had happened to her when he wasn't there. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right? She could just say that she didn't want to talk about it, but that probably would have made him worry more.

"There's something else," he said softly, staring back at the tea he'd still yet to drink. "When I was fighting Grimmjaw, he said there there was something going on inside of you. I know you look fine, but I still wonder if there was something that happened over there that hurt you or something and I–" he paused, trying to search for the words. "It's just that, ever since we came back, you've haven't changed, but I've been questioning that for some reason. I probably shouldn't, but I am. I can't make you tell me anything. All of this stuff, it's been a mess in my head."

He still had that look. It was like a firm sincerity, a trait she figured only he possessed. Who else could scowl so deep, yet be so kind?

She still had her reservations about telling him. Setting down her tea on the coffee table in front of them, she looked down at her lap. He'd get angry, and he'd blame himself again. She didn't want to burden him with that. None of this was his fault. Despite how much he'd grown physically and emotionally throughout this whole ordeal, there were times when all she could see was a sad little boy who carries a self-imposed burden to protect everyone he cares about. A burden that made him put his life behind everyone else's. That little boy would only get hurt if she told him, but she felt like she owed too much to him to keep secrets like this from him. It was because of him that she got stronger. He awoke the power within her. Watching his confidence grow as he got stronger so that he knew nothing would beat him made her only want the same. She worked hard and stumbled along the way, but it was his presence that inspired her. For that, she'd always be grateful. "It's okay, Inoue. You can tell me when–"

"Just promise me that you won't get upset," she blurted out before he could finish. With that kind of a warning, Ichigo knew what she was going to say would upset him, but he couldn't do anything but agree and try his damnedest to not react harshly. She looked at him and felt an odd sense of calm. This was the kind Kurosaki-kun she loved so dearly, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.

With a slight hesitation, she went on and told him everything once she set foot in Hucedo Mundo. From healing Grimmjaw's arm just to have him impale Luppi in the next moment, to watching the outcome of Rukia's fight, to having those two arrancar girls beat her up, she told him everything but visiting him that night before she was taken. She was still a little too embarrassed to tell him about that. Plus, it's not like that would change anything. The last thing she wanted now was to burden him with her feelings.

His only reaction, the only reaction that seemed proper given his earlier promise, was silence.

"Look, Inoue, I …" he trailed off as he caught a glimpse of her to see a tear trail down her cheek.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said wiping the tear from her face. "I thought that I was better. I thought that everything else that had happened to make up for that; being able to finally help all of you would make up for everything happened there. Not just what happened when I got there, but all of the fighting and death would be better if I could just help you. And I did. I did help you, so remembering all this shouldn't make me upset. I'm sorry. I'm just being silly," she said smiling, despite more tears trailing down her face.

"You don't need to apologize," he said softly, trying to make his gruff voice sound as gentle as possible. He hated seeing her like this, but he had no idea what to do. He wasn't good with words, so he'd just said the only thing that could come into his head just then and probably make things worse. When Yuzu cried, he'd just fumble out some words, ruffle her hair, offer her a smile, and maybe some ice cream if they had any. He couldn't do that with Orihime. He could make light of the situation, but he wanted so bad to let her know that everything was fine. He turned to her and just reached out, his hand lightly gripping her shoulder. "It's okay," he said softly, scooting closer to her. There was something in him, some little voice in his head, moving him closer to her. That something had come over him, and in a few moments he had his arms around her.

Orihime was at a bit of a loss. She was being hugged by the boy she'd loved for so long. Not only that, but he'd been thinking about her and her situation. He worried about how she was feeling. She didn't want to get her hopes up even now, but he was so warm. There was something about his warmth, his scent, that made her break down a little more. Everything that she'd been holding inside felt like it was ganging up on her, waiting to pour out of every inch of her body. She didn't want to scare him away, but she couldn't help it. A whole new wave of tears poured out of her as she let go of last bits of regret and sorrow that had been clinging to her. She wrapped her arms around him, savoring the comfort, holding onto him until she could feel the end in sight, and hoping that he didn't mind her gripping onto him just a little tighter.

Embracing her was almost like a reflex, so when she responded with more tears, Ichigo wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He just wanted her to feel better and making her cry more was the last thing he wanted. After minutes of crying, he felt her breath slowly return to normal. Hearing a few soft sniffles and slowly released his grip. "Are you okay?" he asked as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.

Nervous at first, she looked up at him to see one of his more gentle looks. It was the one that came from concern.

"Yes, thank you, Kurosaki-kun. I think I needed to do that," she replied, still seated quite close to him. Looking at his chest she noticed a damp spot on his shirt. She reached out for it, stopping just short of touching it. "Oh, I got your shirt wet," she said softly.

"Don't worry about it. It'll dry," he replied looking down to see the tear stains himself. "As long as you're feeling better now, it's okay."

She looked up at him. Tears wanted to form again from hearing his words combined with the soft expression he now had, but she held back. Instead, she decided a change of subject was in order.

"Do you want to stay for dinner? I don't have much, but I'm sure I can make something for the both of us. I think I have enough to make some tsukune with my special sweet bean, mustard, and butter sauce on top."

"Well, I've been trying to make it up to Yuzu for being gone so long, so I should be getting home for dinner." Thankfully he had an honest excuse to skip that meal, but he had a feeling that one of these days he'd be trapped into eating one of her concoctions.

"Of course, because Kurosaki-kun is so kind," she said with a sweet smile. He didn't try to refute her claim, but it still felt odd to be called kind.

They got up and she saw him to the door. "I know I've been thanking you a lot today, but I want to thank you again," she said as he watched him get his shoes on. "It feels good to have talked about all of this with someone. I didn't want to tell Tatsuki-chan. I didn't want to upset her any more, and I missed her a lot. When I came home, I decided that I only wanted to smile when I saw Tatsuki-chan. It was good to finally let it all out, but I think now that, maybe it'd be a good thing to tell her."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd like to know, even if it's tough to hear," he said standing up after tying his shoes. "You know, if Tatsuki's at practice, and there's no one to walk home with, and I'm around, we could walk home together … again, or something."

"That'd be great," she said beaming.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school," he said, opening the door. She said her farewell and watched him leave her apartment. Closing the door behind him, she lingered in the entryway, leaning against the door. Taking in a deep breath, she could still smell his scent lingering in the room. Smiling, she moved on and got ready to make dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

Small Talk  
chapter 3

Ichigo sat alongside Chad on the roof of the school, both silently enjoying their lunches. There were times when he valued Chad's quiet presence, but this was the one time that he really wanted a distraction. As much as Keigo could annoy him with the overly dramatic speeches about girls and trying to maintain sub-par grades, he just needed the noise. Otherwise, his mind would again start to wander towards a certain brown-haired girl and what had happened between them just a few days ago.

_What was I doing hugging her like that? I didn't want her to cry anymore, but I didn't have to do that. Now it's weird when I'm around her. I want to tell her why I did it, but I don't know why. Then any time I try to talk to her now, I just lose my nerves when I look at her smiling as she always does. Maybe it's only weird for me. Maybe it feels normal for her to be comforted like that, so maybe she's just brushed it off. Wait, why do I care that it's probably only strange for me? She's my friend, she looked sad, and I wanted her to be happy again. I mean, that's what friends do for each other. Maybe there really is more, but she'd never like me like that. That's probably the last thing she needs, some punk with a bad reputation chasing after her._ He shook his head to keep his thoughts at bay, but that only made him think of something else.

_I'm sure Tatsuki knows about it. I'm surprised she hasn't come around and whacked me on the head for touching her like that. Maybe I should try to talk to her again about it. I just need to get her totally in private. There's no way in hell that I'm letting –_

"Oi! Ichigo!" his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice yelling at him like always. He looked up to see Rukia with her usual look of annoyance. "You'd think that someone like you would be more relaxed with things back to normal."

"What are you calling normal? You're still hanging around here. Shouldn't you be back in the Soul Society by now?" he asked, knowing she'd be aggravated by his remarks. Even if it meant getting smacked upside the head, at least he was getting his mind off his personal dilemma.

"Nii-sama told me I could stay around here for another month," she said, punctuated her statement with the blow to the head that Ichigo predicted. "Plus, it's not like I'm hanging around here just to be around your mopey ass all day. I have other friends here, and I might not be able to be stopping by often after the promotion."

Rukia had initially stayed in the the Soul Society when the war finished. There was a lot of rebuilding that needed to be done, and she understood that her duty as a shinigami meant helping rebuild in whatever way possible. A few weeks after they'd officially started the task, Ukitake had asked to meet with her. Thinking she'd just have a small conversation with her captain, she was shocked when he asked her to become the new vice captain. She enthusiastically accepted, honored to take the spot of the man she had admired for his kindness and leadership so many years ago. Given that her promotion also came with more work, especially since she would be doing a lot of the work that her sickly captain could not do, she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to visit the friends she made in the human world as often as she'd hoped. She had a month before the official promotions, so her brother suggested that she spend it in the human world relaxing. Surprised that he would suggest taking a break, she quickly took him up on his offer before he changed his mind.

"So why aren't you around those other friends?" he asked. He looked over to see that sly look on her face and he felt a familiar sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, I was, but I heard a certain something from a certain someone, and I know that someone else is probably thinking about it too much," Rukia said with a devious smile.

"Why don't you just cut the crap and just say what you know and stop trying to be so damn cryptic about it? Yes, I talked to Inoue yesterday. She got upset when she was talking about everything that happened in Hueco Mundo, and I comforted her, okay? Are you happy?" he yelled back. He felt the silence after his statement and realized just how loud he'd yelled that. Looking around, he was glad it was just Chad and Rukia there.

"I didn't think you'd own up to it so fast."

"Yeah, well, if you already know, there's no reason to hide it," he begrudgingly replied. "So, did you stop by to tease me about it, or something?"

"I thought about it," she said poking the straw into her juice box. "But I think you're torturing yourself enough, so I'll sit back and watch." She watched out of the corner of her eye as he went back to eating his lunch, but she could feel the anger oozing out of him. "You know you shouldn't worry so much about it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're probably just thinking too much, for once." God, he wanted to hurt her right now. "You just got lucky that you grabbed one of the nicest girls alive."

"First off, I didn't grab her. I'm not like that perverted lion. I comforted her when she was upset. And secondly, I know Inoue wouldn't hold a grudge against me for something like that. It's just weird around her now, and it's probably just me. I really... I just don't know why."

"Why, what?" she asked, seeing that her friend was a bit troubled by this.

"Why I did any of this. Why did I feel like I had to talk to her about all of this? Why did I hate seeing her so upset? Why am I worrying so much about how she's feeling now."

His questions didn't surprise her in the least. She knew very well how emotional the orange-haired boy could be. Sometimes it was a great asset. He'd been able to channel that emotion into his fights and became stronger than she'd even have imagined that night almost a year ago when she gave her shinigami powers to him. But, for however great a strength it was, it was also a weakness. He often buckled under the confusion of swirling emotions, and Rukia could now see that weakness coming from him.

"I think the answers to those questions are pretty easy, you're just not willing to admit it. All of this stuff about comforting her and wanting to make sure she's okay makes it sound like you really care for her."

"She's my friend; she's been there to help me or heal me all those times I almost got myself killed, so I should worried about her when she's in danger or upset."

"I know I haven't really known you that long, but I didn't think you would ever be so confused by something so simple," Rukia stated plainly.

"What's so simple about it?"

"You like Inoue and not just as a friend."

"Maybe that is it," he said with a nervous chuckle after thinking about her statement of a few seconds. "That's kinda come across my mind a few times."

"Well, if that's been the answer, why are you still sitting around asking yourself questions that you know the answer to? Tell her!"

"I just think she deserves a lot more than some orange-haired punk who's always getting her in trouble."

The was no hesitation. Almost immediately after he finished his sentence, Rukia's fist landed a hard punch straight to his face. "Hey! What the hell?" he yelled putting his hand to his nose to feel that it was indeed bleeding.

"What kind of idiot are you? Nobody, least of all Inoue, thinks of you like that! What kind of fools would we be to have the back of a guy who's just some orange-haired punk? Sure, you technically started all of this by taking all my powers that night, but you're also the one who ended it. You stood your ground even when things got tough, and you kept on going because you wanted to protect everyone around you. Everyone appreciates what you've done for them, Ichigo. Sure, we all got a little angry when you didn't trust us, but we feel glad we stuck with you. This whole time, there was one person who just wanted to be by your side, Ichigo. You said it yourself. She's someone who saw everything but never changed her mind, never even got angry at you for anything, and that's even when you deserved it. If she doesn't think that way, why do you?"

"Did you know about all the stuff that happened to her?"

"No, I don't, but I do know that she didn't blame you for it. She blamed herself, but I'm sure you know that, right?" Ichigo reluctantly nodded. "Look, I know you probably think I'm the last person who'd tell you this, but you two can really help each other out. I don't know how she does it, but that girl will probably always have a tremendous amount of faith in you."

Wiping the remaining blood from his nose, Ichigo stood up with a smirk.

"And how do you feel about this, Chad?" he asked glancing over at his silent friend. In true Chad style, he responded with a thumbs up. "Thanks. You know, I don't really know how I'm going to do this."

"I've already done enough. The rest is up to you," Rukia said, getting back to the business of eating her lunch.

That caused him to unceremoniously plop back down. "You didn't think I was going to hold your hand through all of this, did you? If there's something you want to say to her, it should be something from your heart."

"Thanks, Rukia," he replied softly.

While Rukia and Chad continued to eat their lunches, Ichigo sat and looked pensively at the sky.

_So now, what do I say?_

* * *

"You're still sure you don't want me to punch him a few times? It might knock some sense into him," Tatsuki said as the two girls walked the halls as school let out.

"No, Tatsuki-chan, violence like that doesn't solve anything," Orihime sternly replied.

"Come on Orihime, you can't just protect that guy all the time."

"I know, but I don't think you beating up Kurosaki-kun is going to do anything. I'm just kind of confused now, but it's something that I should solve on my own with him."

"Well, I guess I should be glad that you want to solve this, and I know I shouldn't say this and get your hopes up, but I think it'll work out just fine," Tatsuki said nonchalantly.

"You really think so?" Orihime asked softly.

"I do. That guy can is definitely more than a little dense, but I think he's really starting to understand things a little better."

Orihime smiled back at her friend as they made their way towards the shoe lockers. As they got close enough, they could see a familiar head of orange hair waiting by Orihime and Tatsuki's lockers. Seeing Ichigo stand there waiting made Orihime nervous, and she fell back a few steps behind Tatsuki.

"Oi, Ichigo," Tatsuki yelled to grab her friend's attention. "What are you doing over here? Isn't your locker two rows over?" Orihime, meanwhile, just quietly walked to her locker to change into her normal shoes. She knew Ichigo was there for her, but she was nervous about what he might tell her. She'd never brought up the subject of her feelings for fear of rejection and losing his friendship. The possibility of that happening, despite Tatsuki's reassurance, felt very real at the moment.

"I kinda wanted to talk to Inoue, maybe walk her home, or something," he said in an uncharacteristically shy manor. He knew that in all likelihood Tatsuki understood his intentions, but he just prayed that she didn't make a scene or threaten him with violence. That was the last thing he needed now, the direct threat of Tatsuki looming over him.

Tatsuki looked over at Orihime to see her avoiding eye contact with Ichigo, who was obviously taking his time glancing over at her and focusing back on Tatsuki while he waited for an answer. She had to admit that she liked seeing him squirm, but she couldn't say no to the sudden shy act.

"Sure, but I better not hear about you starting any funny business," she said with a smirk.

"You won't," he flatly replied, his teeth clenched. As Tatsuki walked away, he looked down, and scratching the back of his head, he let out a long breath. By the time he'd looked up again, Orihime was already in her normal shoes, ready to go. "Ah, sorry about that," he muttered.

"You don't need to say you're sorry," she smiled back. Of course she'd respond like that. With that they were off. Exiting the school gates, this time, it didn't really matter if anyone saw them leaving together. The potential reaction did unnerve him a bit, but it was hard to get too worked up about rumors given what he'd wanted to talk to Orihime about.

The exit from the gates was silent, yet not wholly awkward.

"It's so hard to believe that the school year is almost over," Orihime said to break the silence as they walked side by side. He made sure to stand between her and the road. Not only was it the gentlemanly thing to do, but he never knew just where she'd roam.

"This whole year has gone by pretty fast," he replied.

"It was a very busy year for Kurosaki-kun," she returned with a soft giggle.

"I'm surprised they're not holding me back a year. It's not like I don't have enough problems as it is. Being an orange-haired delinquent, who was let back a year, is the last thing I need. I mean, I study for a reason."

"I just hope that somehow we can be in the same again class next year." Hearing what she said and noticing just how that may come out, she blushed. "I hope we're all in the same class. It wouldn't be the same without Tatsuki-chan or Sado-kun or Ishida-kun," she quickly added.

Their conversation continued as the two walked back to Orihime's place. Despite the anxiety that sat in the pit of his stomach, troubling him with what he was going to say next, their little conversation about school and exams felt so light. Orihime had watched him become a hero, taking on the Soul Society and then Aizen, yet she seemed so content right now just walking home from school with him.

"I did it again," Ichigo said realizing they'd reached Orihime's door and he'd yet to tell her what he originally set out to tell her. "I keep on saying that I want to talk to you, but I can never really get what I wanted to say out."

"It's okay Kurosaki-kun. You can come in again if there's something you need to say."

Once again, he followed her inside her apartment. This time he wasn't going to accept any tea. He was going to get right to business. He'd been practicing in his head what he was going to say to her all afternoon. All he needed to do was just get it out. "Do you want some tea?" she asked facing him directly.

"No," he roughly replied. "I mean, no thanks," he said to correct himself realizing that he may have sounded a little harsh. "Inoue, I know that it's kinda been strange since, well, since the last time I was here and what happened. All that got me thinking," He paused to sigh and let out of some tension. "I'm not good at getting this out either. I've been wondering why I did anything. Why did I hate seeing you so upset? It wasn't that I felt responsible. I mean, I do, but it wasn't just that. I thought about it, and it's just that I hate seeing you like that. The Inoue in my mind is the one who can smile and light up a room. Seeing that smile just makes me feel relaxed, and I feel like I can forget what's bothering me. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I…I really like that Inoue. I mean, I really like you, Inoue."

Orihime didn't know what to say. It didn't feel real. She pinched her arm, and let out a quiet ouch when she felt the sting of the contact. "What are you doing?" he asked with a slightly nervous giggle under his breath.

"I was making sure that this is real, and I'm not dreaming. I never thought I'd hear those words from you, Kurosaki-kun. I've liked you for a long time, and I never thought…" she trailed off, her emotions getting better of her. She was reduced to tears yet again. This time bowed her head to try to hide her tears.

"Eh, Inoue," he said with a bit of panic in his voice. "Geez, am I only good at making you cry?"

"No," she softly said, shaking her head. "These are good tears." She looked up at him, and he could indeed see that it was a combination of crying and smiling. "What you said makes me really happy."

Just like before, Ichigo quickly pulled her close, a smile on both of their faces. "What do we do now?" she asked once her tears had slowed

"I don't know. I didn't really think that far ahead."

That earned a healthy giggle from Orihime. "Well, we've got all the time in world to figure it out."


End file.
